Twelve Real Dates
by FireAngel375
Summary: Set Post-Last Christmas. Clara finds out it has been over 1000 years since the Doctor has been on a proper date. Rated M for later chapters. Total Fluff. Whouffaldi.
1. The Setup

The Doctor entered the TARDIS closely followed by Clara. The two of them were drenched. Clara's hair hung around her face, actively dripping along with the rest of her. She watched with amusement as the Doctor struggled to pull off his long overcoat that stuck to him like a second skin.

"Do you need help with that?" Clara asked as she wrapped her hair together and squeezed. The water caused something below the floor to spark.

"Watch where you're dripping!" The Doctor hissed. His eyebrows knitted as he pulled on his sleeve in vain. He sighed and held it up to Clara to pull on.

"I forgot, not all Time Lord Technology is water proof." Clara rolled her eyes and pulled on the sleeve, freeing the Doctor's arm.

"Thanks." The Doctor flexed his fingers, which were stiff from the cold. He held up the other arm for her to pull on. "Meet you in the library when you're dry?"

"Fine." Half of Clara's mouth rose in a smile. She held out the wet Time Lord's Jacket for him to take back, then scampered off to her room.

The Doctor hugged the wet jacket to himself, looking at the door as it shut behind Clara. He was still getting use to her living with him, after not seeing her for months. He certainly did not mind not having to pop off to her flat every time she needed a change of clothes. Though he did find himself worrying that she'd decide she did not like living with him. He flung his watery jacket over the railing near the stairs and watched angry sparks fly up from the depths of the ship.

"Shut it you," The Doctor mumbled towards the TARDIS. He wandered off to his room to change.

Sometime later, Clara leaned against the Doctor as she stared at her book in vain. Her mind was wandering too much for her to really concentrate on reading after such a long day. Her thoughts kept wandering to Danny. The loneliness of Danny's absence gripped her whenever she lay in an empty bed. It would remind her once again that he was never coming back. The only times she found the pain to subside was when she would cuddle with her Doctor. Feeling him living and breathing next to her calmed her fears that she had lost both Danny and him forever.

By chance, Christmas brought her a second chance for her and the Doctor. After battling dream crabs the two of them realized how precious their time was together and the Doctor pleaded with Clara to return to the TARDIS with him back into a life of whimsy. Clara knew she had quite the stroke of luck that the Doctor had returned for her before she became old and gray like they had seen in their shared dream. So, without much debate, she and many of her belongings moved onto the TARDIS.

 _'You know they have e-readers for these now,' The Doctor had joked as they carried several boxes into the library. The boxes were much more heavy than he had expected._

 _'You're one to talk,' Clara had replied as she started to place her collection on an empty shelf they had set aside for her. 'The TARDIS has like six libraries.'_

 _The Doctor held a book out for Clara to grab. 'Actually it's... it's more like twelve.'_

 _'Twelve?!'_

 _'Give or take...' The Doctor frowned. 'I like to start a new collection with each change you know... See where I've been, where I'm going... that sort of thing.'_

It was little intimate details like that which always threw Clara for a loop. The Doctor kept things so close to his chest that any glimpse into his reasoning for things seemed like a real treat. Clara mulled over that fact now as she continued to stare at the book in front of her. She no longer wanted normalcy in her life like she had once thought. This meant with all the crazy adventures she and her Doctor got into now, these calm moments became special. It was this want for more intimate moments that made an idea Clara come to mind.

"I'm bored," Clara huffed as she closed her book.

The Doctor mirrored her by closing his book as well after placing in a bookmark. He looked over to her in slight confusion. "Bored?"

She turned to look at him and nodded.

"How could you possibly be bored?" The Doctor said, baffled. "Just a few hours ago we were being chased by Besperizi* trying to steal our clothes."

"We were... and you were quite impressive with your idea to suck them up with that vacuum."

"Anyone who isn't a pudding brain could have thought of that." The Doctor could not help but smile."We're in a time machine Clara, all of time and space is available to us. And you're bored?"

"Okay so maybe bored isn't the right choice of word." Clara looked away. "I more... want a change of pace. Like running in that rainstorm was."

The Doctor looked Clara over and scoffed. She had pulled her long hair up out of her face and she had on sweat pants and a tank top. She looked delightful, but in no fit state for anything other than bed. He was about to say this when she spoke again.

"When's the last time you've been on a date Doctor? And I mean a proper date. Going somewhere where nothing out of the ordinary is happening, just to spend time with... with someone you care about."

Clara had hesitated. She still was not sure what they were to each other, if anything. They had gotten a lot closer lately, but they had not discussed where things were headed. The Doctor was still too hung up on his appearance and how he was no longer a young'in with a bow tie. She did not want to bring up relationship dynamics in fear she'd push him away.

The Doctor's sharp eyebrows rose. It became clear to Clara that she started an explosion of questions inside of him. As his eyes narrowed with suspicion, he replied with a vague air to his words. "I guess the last time was well before I took up residence in the town of Christmas."

Ah, the town of Christmas. One of the forbidden subjects. Clara thought to herself. It was no secret for her that though it was only a few days for Clara, the Doctor had gone through hundreds and hundreds of years without her- without anyone- in that forsaken place. He did it because he felt it was his duty, but it put a pause on his life. He thought he was going to die there. He had never expected the Time Lords to give him this time, this borrowed time.

The silence stretched between them, but Clara held out her hand as a peace offering. She had not meant to remind him of all those long years where she would pop by every three centuries or so. The Doctor slid his fingers between hers and sighed. "I'm sorry I'm touchy about that, Clara. It was 900 years and you'd think I would have matured by now."

"I don't think you can ever mature." Clara said with relief. "You get reborn every once in a while and have to start anew."

The Doctor cleared his throat and looked away but a shadow of a smile seemed to be on his lips too. He did not let go of her hand. "To answer properly it would have been around 1000 years ago, with River. I use to break her out of jail and take her wherever she wanted."

"She was in jail? For what?"

"Killing me," This time the Doctor did smile and he said this quite innocently. He also made a point to not elaborate. "It was a wonderful time, but I'd be kidding if I said I remember it all now. It's like when you're trying to remember the nice dream you've had."

Clara ran her thumb across the back of the Doctor's hand. "Sometimes it feels like that with the time I had with Danny. I'm sure a thousand years would make me forget too."

"And yet I never forgot you," The Doctor said quietly.

"Only 'cuz I showed up a few times to remind you," Clara bit her lip to keep the tears stinging her eyes at bay. "But anyway, to cure my boredom, I think we should go on a few real dates."

"Adventures aren't enough?"

"They are, but I want to see what you're like when we do mundane things too, not just when you're about to give your "I'm the Doctor, I've lived 2000 years" speech."

"You always said you liked that speech," He let go of her hand then and looked down at his feet.

"And I do!" Clara reassured him. "But I'd like to see little things like how you butter your bread or um... I don't know, how well you do with conversation while strolling in a park."

"You've seen me butter bread before, Clara."

"That's not the... you're just ignoring my idea." she crossed her arms then and glared. "I will not have it. Tomorrow evening, I'll be dressed in my very best and you will have to decide on a place for us to have our first date."

The Doctor sputtered. "First? Of how many?"

"At least twelve. It doesn't have to be every night but you have to think of at least twelve ordinary things for us to do together. Think you can handle that my clever boy?"

The Doctor glared at her but his face softened when she curled up against him, her fingers tracing down his leg to his knee. He reached over to her ear and pushed a loose strand of hair behind it, and it looked as though he may kiss her for a moment, but instead he turned away and re-opened his book. "Tomorrow it is then."

* * *

The next evening, the door closed behind Clara as she bounded off to her room to dress for whatever mythical date the Doctor was suppose to conjure up. He still felt flabbergast. Dating was definitely not his foray anymore, which made him feel even older than he already felt. Couldn't they just stay in like they usually did? Why did she have to challenge him like this?

"Well I guess I have to get ready for my date." He growled out to particularly no one, but he knew by the way the TARDIS was flickering her lights that she was laughing at him. " . Yes, lets laugh at the old alien." He glared around him before walking to the door to go to his room so he could change and make a couple of phone calls. Anything to make the boss happy he supposed. The thought of his old nickname for Clara brought a smile to his face. Maybe this would not be so bad after all.

* * *

 _* Besperizi are A race of gaseous life-forms with binocular vision and two noses. They are master strategists and use musical instruments to communicate. They are obsessed with all things human, and they buy human clothes in order to look more like them. This race was generated by the alien generator on Scifi Dot com._


	2. The First Date

**The First Date**

A few hours later, the TARDIS ' _whoomed_ ' as the ship settled into the grass.

"What planet are we on?" Clara asked. She wore a sun dress with flowers on it and a crochet shawl. The Doctor reconsigned it as the one she had been darning for the past few weeks.

"Earth," The Doctor pulled a lever to stabilize the ship. "Looks as though its relatively close to your current time but not quite."

Clara cautiously opened the door to find the TARDIS had landed in the back yard of a grand house that was at least two stories high. It took her breath away as she examined the lovely cobble stone siding. The air felt pleasantly warm and smelled of late spring.

"Is this where we're having our date?" She asked.

"No," replied The Doctor. "It's where we're going to be staying for the next few days."

"Seriously?" Clara's face was lit with curiosity and excitement. "But how?"

"A friend owed me," The Doctor replied vaguely. "This is his vacation home. He told me we could have it as long as we needed it," The Doctor walked over to the stones that lined the pathway and picked them up one by one. "He left us a key here somewhere... Ah yes."

The Doctor produced a small silver key that fit into the lock of the back door. As he opened it he looked behind himself to Clara and said, "I hope you'll like it."

The back door opened to a large room which had the kitchen and living room placed in the open concept space. The living room had a sliding glass door that led to the indoor pool which was surrounded by dark cherry wood paneling. On the left, a carpeted staircase led to the rest of the house.

Clara gasped as she examined her surroundings. "It's fantastic!"

"That's usually my line," The Doctor joked, pulling her to him. "We'll have to look at the rest of the house some other time, but first we need to go on our date."

"This is already more than enough," Clara grinned. "You'll be able to play the role of a real domestic for the next few days."

"Hmm you think so?" The Doctor reached up and ran his finger over Clara's soft cheek. Her grin turned into a half smile as she reached up to meet his hand and took it into hers.

"I know so. I wouldn't want you to stay that way of course," Clara sounded serious now. "I'd rather you keep doing what you want."

"I could try on domestication."

"We'll see," Clara replied. "I don't think you'd last long."

The Doctor frowned and shrugged. "I was domesticated once, when I had a wife, on Gallifrey."

"You also ended up with a Granddaughter, so I guess you're right," Clara looked away and wandered over to the counter so she could lean against it. "So where are we going then?"

The Doctor walked past her, heading for the front door. "It isn't far. I rented a car already too, its outside." Clara stared at him blankly. "What is it?"

"You can drive?"

"Clara, I'm nearly 2000 years old."

"Yes, I know, but do you have a drivers license?"

The Doctor leered with his top lip curled and turned to walk out but Clara did not follow. She side stepped the counter and held out her hand, placing the other on her hip. "Lets see then."

She did not leave him with much of a choice. The Doctor pulled out a leather wallet from his back pocket. He knew that it was customary for human males to carry them around so they can pay for the dates, so he was a little affronted when Clara laughed.

"You really thought of everything didn't you?" She said as several types of currency fell out of the wallet.

The Doctor felt his ears redden but he attempted to appear collected. He did not think Clara was convinced. He thrust a plastic card to her. "I could just use my psychic paper but I actually have a license."

On it was a man much younger than The Doctor was now, in age and appearance. He had blond curly hair and a technicolor jacket. As she examined it, he swooped to pick up the bills he dropped and hastily shoved them back into the wallet.

"Well, _John Smith_ ," Clara smiled gently and sighed as she handed the ID back to the Doctor. "I think your ID might be a bit expired."

"These things expire?" The Doctor's eyebrows raised as he examined the dates on the card. It turned out it was good until May 12th, in the year 1963. "Well that's stupid, I still know how to drive, I earned this not very long ago."

Clara shook her head. "I'm going to have to drive- well maybe, what year is it?"

"2012."

"Oh thank goodness, at least I'm alive in this decade." Clara reached into her purse and pulled out her much newer and shinier ID. She examined it carefully while doing math in her head and once satisfied returned it to its proper place.

"Why do you have that?" The Doctor asked, exasperated as he opened the front door and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You don't even own a car."  
"My Mam told me when she was alive how important it was to have one," Clara said. "At least I actually look like my ID picture." She teased the Doctor as she followed him outside.

"I look exactly like my ID picture, it's me after all," The Doctor puffed out his chest importantly as he pressed the button to open the garage. He jumped with surprise when he heard Clara squeal.

"This is a Maserati Spyder!" Clara exclaimed. 'I've seen pictures but I've never..." Her heals clicked against the cement as she wandered around it, running her hand over the leather seats. The top was already down. "Where did you rent this car from?" She looked over to the Doctor skeptically.

"Well technically my friend did that for me. Like I said, he owes me a huge favor," The Doctor hopped into the passenger seat and took out his sonic screw driver. The device glowed green as he pressed it against the GPS. "There, I fed the directions so you won't know where we're going 'til we get there."

He couldn't help but be amused by how excited Clara became as she started the car. The engine revved and the car gently vibrated.

Clara was actually quite a good driver, which did surprise the Doctor a bit. It had been a while since she had practiced because he had never seen her drive before, but she seemed quite comfortable as she followed the directions given by the prompter. She did however smack his hand away when he had reached for the radio.

"No, not right now." She said, her eyes concentrating on the road. She was tiny compared to the beast of a car so she had to crane her neck to see if the intersection they stopped at was clear. "I dunno where I am, and I want to be able to think."

The Doctor sighed and leaned back in his seat, and for the rest of the trip they were silent. He examined her face as she made decisions, and she was so concentrated he did not even think she noticed him staring. The sun threw the small freckles on her nose and splayed under her eyes into sharp relief, reminding him of the stars.

When they finally reached their destination, Clara pulled the bright green car into a spot near the door. The building they had arrived at had no markings or signs to tell her what waited for them inside.

"This car drives like a dream." Clara sighed happily. She leaned back in her seat and looked over to the Doctor, her eyes sparkling. "So much better than the old bug I learned in."

"Who taught you?" The Doctor asked.

"I taught me." Clara replied. "Though Mam told me to get my license I didn't get it until after she died and my dad just didn't have the time."

The silence that stretched between them was not uncomfortable but the Doctor could see her mind wandering to thoughts of her mother and her still-alive father that she constantly would mention she needed to visit more.

"Well, I don't know bout you but I'm ready to go in." The Doctor said after a while. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip before turning to get out of the car. He grasped her hand once she joined him as he walked with her toward the door.

The building resembled a barn from the outside due to its red wood paneling. The Doctor grasped onto the front door handle and opened it while Clara gently squeezed his hand.

The door shut behind them noiselessly and it took them a few moments to adjust to the lighting. The whole room was black lit from various points in the room. Clara almost instantly began to glow in her white dress. She had left her shawl back in the car. She stared around in wonder and looked up to the Doctor's face. He was waiting for her reaction. She looked around again and now she could see that half the room was set up for dining. There were several couples sitting with their food. The other half of the building was dedicated to a giant rollerblading rink. "Do you know how to roller skate?" The Doctor half shouted over the techno music.

Clara nodded in reply. "I haven't since I was a little girl though!"

Twenty minutes later, she and the Doctor had slipped several bills to the attendant at the counter. They made a food order for when they decided to take a break from the roller rink, and Clara ended up struggling to contain herself as she watched the Doctor strap a pair of old school four wheeled skates onto his feet.

"Do you prefer everything to be old fashioned?" She asked him as she attempted to stand on her own blades which also had four wheels but they were placed in a straight line. Just as she spoke though she slipped and fell into the Doctor's arms.

He laughed more than she had ever seen him do before "Look who's talking!" He said as he attempted to cross the room to the roller rink. He too seemed to still be rusty because as soon as he began to move he second guessed himself and stumbled.

Now Clara shook with laughter. "Maybe we both need some practice." She held out her hand and the two lurched over to the rink, gasping every so often as they lost their balance.

Once onto the smooth surface of the rink, the Doctor seemed to gain more confidence back. Clara held onto the wall as she watched him zoom away towards the empty middle of the rink. He turned so he could see Clara and beckoned her to him. She closed her eyes and pushed herself from the wall, blindly waving her arms about as she struggled to stay upright. Her dress curled around her legs as she went forward.

The Doctor caught her as she reached him. He pulled her close, watching the multicolored lights sweep over her face making it change sightly. She looked back, her eyes studying his features, and a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The Doctor pulled her forward to the other side of the rink and when they reached the wall, they both grabbed onto the ledge to keep themselves steady.

The base line of the music made Clara's heart flutter. She was so close to the Doctor now she could smell him. He smelled of aftershave and space. She never really thought about it but space travel really did make him smell differently than anyone she knew. It might also had something to do with him not being human. For a fleeting moment she wondered if she smelled different to him too.

The Doctor let go of the wall and cupped the sides of Clara's face. He wanted to stay like that but his legs were not cooperating. It took him a moment to register he was staring at her knees before he realized he had fallen.

"Oi, are you alright?" Clara asked, as she tried to help him up.

The Doctor gripped onto her as he struggled to his feet. "Yeah, isn't it obvious? I've just fallen for you is all."

Clara's giggles brought a blush to the Doctor's face. When he finally stood the song playing ended and switched to a slower song. "Do you know how to slow dance?"

"Isn't that something that little kids do in middle school?" Clara asked, crinkling her nose.

"Not always." The Doctor pulled her away from the wall again, this time paying more attention to his feet. He turned and faced her, placing her hands on his shoulders. He put his hands on her waist and began to sway them back and forth. Clara stumbled a couple times, but in a few moments she seemed to catch the rhythm.

The music felt like it swelled inside Clara. She examined the Doctor's face, drinking in the shape of his lips, the shine of his eyes in the darkness and the way the front of his hair curled over his forehead. He too drank her in. He felt both his hearts beating quickly, not from the music, but from how close they were.

After they slow danced for a bit, they decided to just skate around the rink while holding hands. They were stumbling less while doing it because it was easier to just let gravity do the work. They continued to do this until hunger set in.

Back at the table they shed their skates quite fast. Though the skating had been fun they both agreed they were happy to have their balance back. Their chips were just arriving as they settled into a booth, and Clara was the first to grab one. Without pretense, she dunked it into some ketchup. She gently nibbled on the edge of it and groaned. "Still too hot!" She blew on her french fry half-heartedly.

"Does that even help?" The Doctor's eyebrow rose as he watched her.

"Not really, but it makes me feel better." Clara sighed as she placed the french fry on a napkin to cool off. She offered her hand and waited for the Doctor to take it in hopes he wouldn't feel pushed. It did take him a moment to grab it, but he didn't let go. " Thanks for this." Clara said, studying the back of his hand. "You really didn't have to take my date idea seriously."

"Course I had to." The Doctor said. "You have been in my life for at least a thousand years, I need to start treating you the way you deserve."

"Does it really feel like that?" Clara asked, looking up to his face. "Like it's been a thousand years?"

"It doesn't feel like that, it is that." The Doctor replied. "It's only been a couple years for you, but not for me. I've had a lot of time to think about you."

Clara could not totally see the Doctor's expression in the darkness, but she could hear the heaviness in his words. Her heart ached.

For a time she and the Doctor wordlessly ate their chips, looking at each other every so often and smiling. When the chip basket was almost empty Clara said, "How bout we go when we're done so we can go back to the house and actually talk instead of shouting at each other?"

"Sounds like a plan." Replied the Doctor.

They had reached the last chip in the basket. Clara offered it to the Doctor but he shook his head. He picked up the chip, broke it in half, and handed part of it to Clara. She thought about making a comment, but instead just took his offering.

Once the skates had been returned and their eyes had adjusted to the world outside of the skating rink, they got into the car with Clara again behind the wheel. "Well that was unexpected." Clara said, as she turned the car on.

"In a good way?" The Doctor asked, amused.

"More than a good way." Clara breathed. She leaned over to him and kissed his cheek. He blushed. "Thank you, Doctor, really."

The car pulled for the parking lot before she said, "Only eleven more dates to go before you're off the hook."

* * *

 **Author note:** Thanks for the reviews everyone! They're super appreciated!


	3. Clarity

**Author's note:** I listened to Drops of Jupiter by Train while writing this chapter along with 'best day of my life' by American Authors and Clarity by Foxes. High rating applies here.

* * *

Twilight began to set in when Clara pulled onto the road to their temporary home. In one yard there were children playing. Their giggles met Clara's ears making her smile as she drove past, her mind wandering to her school children. She wondered if they missed her or if she would get back to her own time someday so they would not know she had ever been gone in the first place. That would bring its own set of problems she supposed if she ended up aging enough during her time with the Doctor for them to notice.

That subject happened to be one thing about time travel that Clara's mind never wrapped around properly. When the Doctor said he has literally known her for hundreds of years he meant it. She was currently 28 and from the year 2014 but when she returned how old would she be? Did she ever want to return or did she want to be like the Doctor and no longer claim a time line?

"What're you thinking about?" The Doctor asked, a look of concern on his face as they pulled into the garage.

"Just bout how you don't really have a time line." She said as she pulled the car into park.

"Do so!" The Doctor replied, as he unbuckled himself.

"Well okay you do, but you don't have a year that you call your own." Clara unbuckled herself as well and turned to him. "You return to 2014 a lot because that was the year I was from, but I'm sure you've had plenty of companions from different time periods."

"Sure I have." The Doctor replied. "I suppose its because Gallifrey doesn't have a time period anymore that I don't have one either. Gallifrey is my home."

Clara frowned for a moment in thought. Then she opened the car to get out. "That must feel really strange."

"Yeah, sometimes I feel like I don't belong anywhere." The Doctor copied her and got out of the car too. "Did you have a good time Clara?"

"Yes." She was glad for the change of subject. "Now lets go check out this house huh?"

They wandered inside and turned on the lights as they passed through the front door. The place was even prettier at night. The light switches had dimmers and the leather furniture looked plush and inviting.

"What do you feel like doing now?" The Doctor asked as he stretched and walked over to the couch.

"I dunno... TV sound okay?" Clara placed her shawl on the back of the couch and went to sit near him.

"I have never been one to just sit around watching TV but I could give it a try." The Doctor picked up the remote, trying to figure out what all the buttons did. Eventually, he got the TV on and he flipped through the channels trying to find something.

"What do you usually do on couches then?" She laughed. "Didn't you tell me you recently stayed with a guy as his roommate? Didn't you watch TV with him?"

"You use the word recently so strange to me." The Doctor replied choosing what looked like a special on lions on Animal Planet. "My time with Craig was also a long time ago remember?"

"Sorry, yes, I know we had this conversation yesterday." Clara sighed and nuzzled into his side, putting her face into his chest. "It's just hard for me to understand."

The Doctor sighed and ran his hand down the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair. "I know. When you're on the TARDIS a bit longer it'll become more natural I promise."

"You're the expert, I suppose," Clara said, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

"I'm just a mad man in a box," The Doctor rubbed her shoulder and kissed her forehead. "Why don't we just watch... whatever this is?" He gestured to the wide screen mounted on the wall. It was now explaining how the mother lions taught their children to drink from the watering hole.

* * *

Sometime later after a couple shows and Chinese take out, (they had found a menu for it in the kitchen), Clara yawned while stretching her arms.

"I think it's bout time we investigate the upstairs," She declared, as she walked over to the stairwell. The Doctor got up from the couch and followed her. He had mentioned earlier that he had never visited this house before either so it was new for him as well.

"I asked and he said there are two bedrooms. The master and the guest bedroom. Which one do you want?" He asked this quite innocently, and he was unable to see Clara's face fall as she still faced the stairs.

"Oh, I guess the guest room will do..." Clara replied, trying to keep her voice steady. She had hoped he would invite her to share a bed with him. She considered saying something but then decided it was best not to. She still did not want to rush him.

"Are you sure? The master has an attached bathroom. The guest just has the one in the hall."

"I'm sure." Clara knew she had stiffness in her voice now, but the Doctor continued to ignore it.

"Alright then _Miss Oswald_." The Doctor said, grasping her hand and bringing it to his lips. "It has been a pleasure to spend the evening with you."

Clara nodded and turned to go to the opposite end of the hallway to her bedroom. "See you in the morning, Doctor."

* * *

Later that night Clara tossed and turned. Though the house stayed rooted to the ground, Clara's stomach felt as though she were on a boat. At least in the TARDIS her bedroom was much nearer the Doctor's. Also the house, though beautiful, was far too silent.

Earlier she had gone down to the TARDIS to retrieve her bathrobe and pajamas from her wardrobe. After a shower she was sure that sleep would not be far off, but she now knew as she lay in the dark that her emotions were creeping up on her.

"This is pointless." She grumbled to herself as she sat up in bed. Her eyes ached from the need for sleep. She fumbled with the side table lamp and sighed in frustration when it did not turn on. It appeared the light bulb had burnt out previous to her being there.

She pulled the covers up to her chin and looked around to the darkened room. She cursed at herself for not learning where the ceiling light switch was. She didn't want to be alone anymore in this unfamiliar place.

Clara, as graceful as she could, got out of bed and wandered to the door. When she opened it, she peered out into the darkness, which she could navigate much easier. The hallway had several tiny night lights at regular intervals along the walls. She tiptoed as she approached the closed door to the Doctor's room.

There had been a couple times now that Clara had snuck into the Doctor's room in the dead of night on the TARDIS. He never questioned her and it was never talked about the next day. He would just simply pull her into his arms and she would drift off to sleep. Clara would usually leave before he woke up the next day, so perhaps he thought he dreamed the incidences.

Clara slowly turned the doorknob. The Doctor however was not asleep as she was expecting. He sat up in bed, and of course his bedside lamp worked. He had a news paper propped up in his hands and a pair of half moon glasses perched on his nose. He was not wearing a shirt.

On his naked chest he had hair, but it was sparse. It seemed to be in all the places proper male chest hair should be. The hair got thicker on his stomach as it disappeared into the waistband of his pajama bottoms. He looked up from his reading, and smiled to Clara. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"No, not really," Clara replied scratching the back of her neck and looking away. "Can I join you?"

"Don't see why not, got plenty of room." The Doctor replied, gesturing to the rest of the king sized bed. Whoever owned this house was quite rich it seemed. Everything just was extravagant to the point of uselessness.

Clara wandered over to the large bed, pulling back the covers and sliding next to the Doctor. He continued to read his paper, examining the gardening section of all things.

"Anything interesting?" Clara inquired, as she curled up, her head on a feather pillow. She snuggled into the bed, feeling much more content than she had a few minutes prior.

"Oh you know, I always wish I could grow some things on the TARDIS," The Doctor replied, frowning as he folded the paper in two. "but all the time travel has weird effects on simple living things. More complex organisms like you and I can handle it, but plants... or babies... not so much."

" _Babies_?" Clara asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes... River to be exact."

"Your... your wife?"

"Ex Wife, but yes. She became half a time lord because of her mother time traveling while pregnant. Or while they were conceiving... I never figured it out."

"Your wife was conceived in the TARDIS?" Clara said blankly.

"It's still a long story."

"I've got time."

"Maybe later," The Doctor sighed and looked at Clara, his eyes took in her eager face. "I'm slightly more interested in why such a beautiful girl is in my bed."

A fine blush crept across Clara's face. Usually she was more confident in situations like this. She was not some silly school girl. Yet, something about the way the Doctor had called her beautiful struck her. It her feel like this was not like other occasions when young boys would take her to bed. This was way more different.

"The reason is stupid," Clara mumbled, looking away from him, trying to stay put together.

"I highly doubt that," The Doctor replied. He laid down under the covers too, becoming eye level with her. He reached over and played with the collar of her bathrobe. "Please tell me, Clara."

His breath danced over her name, making her feel a rush of heat run through her to unexpected places. "I..." She stammered. "I guess I always worry that I will wake up and find you gone again."

The Doctor ran a finger up the side of her neck and began tracing back and forth over her jaw. He could tell it was starting to have the intended effect when her eyes began to glaze over. "What if I told you you weren't the only one that fears that?" He ran his thumb over her cheek. "I don't ever want to lose you again, _my Clara_."

He whispered the last part of his sentence and it was not long before Clara's lips had find his. Her hot mouth moved across the Doctor's, her long eyelashes grazing her cheeks. Her warm body pressed against his, her leg wrapping around his hips to pull him closer. The Doctor's hand left her cheek and pushed under her bathrobe, feeling her breast through her t-shirt. The nipple was already hard. He played with it through the fabric as he pushed himself against her, feeling an old, but familiar ache take him over.

Clara moved her lips to his jaw and kissed down the side of his neck, and her hand ran down his chest as well, which she had better access to. The Doctor moaned softly when she dug her nails into his side while biting into his neck.

"Clara," the Doctor moaned between pants as he pushed his hardness against her privates. "Are you okay with this?" He brought his hand to her hip and slipped his thumb under the fabric of both her pajamas and her underwear.

Clara, who seemed to be on another plane of existence due to how much she had wanted this nodded. "Just let me take off my robe." She sat up as she pulled the large piece of cloth off of herself and cast it haphazardly onto the floor. She then reached over to the Doctor and pulled down his pajama bottoms. He pulled them the rest of the way off and mirrored her by tossing them off onto the floor.

The Doctor's cock was hard and it hovered over his lower abdomen as he laid down on his back. He had silvery gray tufts of hair around the base of it, and he blushed a bit as Clara examined him, her eyes shining in the dim light.

"I would have trimmed if I... well... you know." The Doctor mumbled.

"It's fine, it's more than." Clara breathed.

She almost couldn't believe her luck. The Doctor could have looked like anything down there and it would have been fine. A new feeling rose up through her now; intense, unrelenting love.

She reached over and ran her fingers down the perfect trail of hair down his stomach to his cock making the Doctor hiss and his eyes close. Her mouth hovered over the tip of his cock, her eyes watching his reactions, and a smile coming to her lips as he begged for her.

Clara licked the head while gripping the base, and she saw the Doctor's hands grip onto the sheet under him. She brought her hand up in one quick stroke, feeling him twitch as she nuzzled her face into his pubic hair. He smelled so strong of autumn and nothing like a human. He whimpered as she ran her thumb over the sensitive tissue at the tip.

She continued to nuzzle his cock while she reached down and took off her own pajama bottoms and underwear. She shifted back up to be level with the Doctor and he now was the one who was completely frazzled. His hair was a silver poof of a mess and his eyes filled with love and need.

He pulled her down for a kiss, this time slow and steady. His tongue pushed against her lips and his hand kneaded her neck as he propped himself up with his other arm.

Without pretense the Doctor pushed her onto her back. He reached between her legs, finding warmth and moisture there. She kept things trimmed, but not completely bare. He slipped a finger between her lips and pressed a knuckle against her clit, feeling his cock twitch when she moaned. He kissed her as he pressed a finger at her entrance and he pushed it in slowly waiting for her body to open up to him. It went quicker than he expected.

Clara threw her head back and moaned as he entered another finger, moving them in and out of her quivering body. Goosebumps covered her skin as she arched against his fingers. The Doctor's erection pressed eagerly against her leg.

"Do we need a condom?" The Doctor asked, rubbing against her and kissing down her neck.

"On the pill." She replied. "Come on Doctor, please." Clara was now begging for him. She brought up her legs, spreading herself for him. He got on top of her and ran fingers over her clit, making her squeak. Bolts of pleasure ran through her as he entered her with a gentle thrust.

For being out of practice the Doctor was glad to see how easy he and Clara fell into rhythm. He thrust into her with his head on her chest, running his free hand over her breasts through her shirt. She held him, gripping his hair and moaning as he panted, his warm breath running over her neck. His rhythm became more erratic when he felt Clara begin to tighten around him.

The Doctor could feel his hearts hammering as he came. She shuddered and joined him when he rubbed her clit while pushing down on her mound as he thrust into her.

As they came down from their ecstasy the both mumbled each others name and other such nonsense. Now sweaty and tired the two of them dis-tangled themselves. They laid next to each other for a time, glowing.

Clara reached over to the Doctor, and ran her fingers over his cheek, and he looked at her, a quiet contentment over his face. "That was amazing." She looked at him, her eyes drooping.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and brought the palm to his lips and kissed it gently. "Thank you for staying with this old alien Clara. I know I don't deserve you."

"Oh quiet," Clara laughed, snuggling close to him. "You told me some months ago that you're exactly what I deserve. So it's the same for you."

The Doctor could not think of a snappy reply to that. Instead he just nuzzled against her hand and whined when she pulled it away.

"Shush!" Clara replied to his protests. "I have to go to the bathroom! It's your fault I have to," She teased.

Realization of why she had to go dawned on his face and he watched her walk to the bathroom with her bottom peaking out from her shirt. A small blush tinged his cheeks and he watched the door close and he snuggled into the sheets He could still still smell Clara all over him.


	4. The Second Date

Clara could not see much, and it was exciting. The Doctor held her hand, guiding her slow and steady to an unknown destination. It had taken him quite some time to convince her to put the blindfold on that now covered her eyes, but he became quite pleased when she complied.

"Are we far?" Clara asked, as she carefully walked behind the Doctor, holding the back of his jacket with one hand and clutching his hand with the other.

"No actually, we're here," The Doctor replied as he stopped abruptly. A grin spread across his face as he looked at his lovely Clara. Her arms were crossed and she bit nervously at her lip as she waited for further instruction.

Sunlight glowed through the trees, giving the area a ethereal feel. The Doctor had spent quite a time trying to find the perfect clearing earlier that morning. He cursed himself a few times for not knowing the area better, but was pleased when he found a small grove of wild apple trees. They formed a ring around a field, and were still flowering. It took all of him not to instantly rush back to Clara to share his discovery.

Now, he sat down onto the blanket he had spread out earlier, anxiously moving his set up about.

"May I look yet?" Clara asked. She was rubbing her arms though it was quite the warm day. A slight breeze picked up, blowing the bottom of her pale blue dress gently around her knees.

"One more second..." The Doctor replied, attempting to balance a champagne bottle next to a pair of whine glasses. The ground was unfortunately not cooperating.

"I look silly," Clara sighed impatiently.

"You look wonderful," The Doctor replied, not looking up.

"I'm taking this thing off now," Clara moved to pull the blind fold off.

"Fine then, go ahead."

Clara lifted the covering over her eyes, pushing her bangs up with it. She blinked a few times to adjust back to the brightness to find herself looking at a field covered in pink and white petals. Each time the breeze picked up, more would come floating from the branches of the trees.

It took a moment for Clara to turn her attention to the Doctor, whom laid on his side next to a picnic basket stuffed with so much food it was pouring out onto the blanket underneath. He was still contorting his face as she sat down. She on the other hand had become rather breathless.

"Oh Doctor..." Clara sighed as she laid down next to him. "This is so thoughtful... but..." She paused, surveying his strange facial expressions. "what are you doing?"

" I'm trying to look handsome," The Doctor replied, a look of concentration on his features. His face fell when Clara broke into a fit of giggles.

"Don't worry, you look fine, I assure you."

And he did. The Doctor had dressed up in a suit and a bow tie that called back to how he use to dress. All that seemed to be missing was a fez.

"Thank you for this," Clara said after a few moments of silence. A smile spread on her lips as she watched the Doctor pour some champagne into a glass.

"It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be." The Doctor handed her a glass and began to work on his own. "I had to drive all around town while you were sleeping to find this bottle. We're not exactly near a big city."

"You _drove?_ " Clara glared over her drink before taking a sip. "Didn't we talk about this yesterday?"

"Psychic paper," The Doctor growled. "And anyway, I can drive well enough, so I shouldn't get stopped."

Clara continued to glare as he pulled out a couple sandwiches from the basket, and unwrapped them. The Doctor really had put a lot of work into the picnic it seemed; the sandwiches were even cut diagonally and he had removed the crust.

"That's not the point," Clara sighed deeply and looked at her sandwich to see it was her favorite, a Reuben.

"Fine, if it makes you feel any better we can go to the DMV and I can get a new license," The Doctor sighed too and glared at her, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Good," Clara relaxed and smiled over to the Doctor. "How'd you know this was my favorite?"

"I do listen you know," The Doctor gazed at her with sad eyes. He took a sip of his glass. "If you want to know for future reference right now my favorite sandwich meat Pastrami."

"It changes?" Clara slowly took a bite of her sandwich, happy to find it had just the right amount of sauerkraut.

"For the longest time before all I could eat was fish sticks and custard," The Doctor got a dreamy look on his face. He stayed that way for a moment but then looked around bewildered. He sat up so quickly that he nearly knocked his drink over. "Do you hear that?"

Clara strained her ears for a moment and frowned. "Is that... a band?"

The air began to be filled with the sounds of cymbals and a tuba. The sound was far off but there was no mistaking it.

"I'm assuming you didn't hire one, yeah?" Clara asked. Her voice shook.

"It can't be, not here," The Doctor groaned and dropped his half eaten sandwich onto the blanket. He stood quickly, pulling out his screwdriver. It glowed as he swept the trees surrounding them, a puzzled look on his face.

"We have company," Clara scrambled to her feet too and stood closely to the Doctor, her eyes wide. "The Besperizi are fast remember?"

Without much more warning, two of the translucent aliens appeared, holding cymbals and tuba they had been playing. The pair of them had no eyes but you could tell what direction they were looking by their distinct two noses.

"Oh dear... Hello," Clara said, pressing herself as close to the Doctor as possible.

"I don't think they're happy," The Doctor whispered to her. "We did suck their friends into a vacuum." He backed away from the aliens who just hovered innocently and silently near them. "I think we should run-"

But before they could the Besperizi closest to Clara look a huge breath and blew into the tuba's mouth piece. The noise was so loud it made Clara and the Doctor clamp their hands over their ears.

The last thing the two of them saw was a green smokey cloud coming out of the tuba as they fell to the ground and passed out.

* * *

The Doctor woke up some time later coughing. His muscles ached, but he seemed relatively unharmed. Once sure he was not mortally wounded, the Doctor began to look around in panic. He attempted to move but found his arm had been handcuffed to a pipe. It was far too dark for his eyes to even adjust to the light, but he was pretty sure he was alone.

"Clara?" The Doctor called out desperately. "Clara can you hear me?"

When no reply came he quickly felt himself with his free hand. He was naked except for a pair of boxers. Of course, the Besperizi were clothes stealers.

The Doctor yelled out in frustration, pulling on his handcuff and banging as loud as possible. "Clara!" He shouted a few more times for her but more silence met his ears. The Doctor shook his head trying to think of a way out of his handcuff, but without his sonic screw driver there did not seem to be one. He began shouting again, which he continued to do until his voice became hoarse.

* * *

The Doctor did not know how long he sat there but he was sure he fell asleep. He did not wake until he heard a creek of a door from somewhere above him. With the door open he was able to at least make out his surroundings a little. It seemed he was in a basement near a flight of stairs. He was about to begin shouting again. As the door opened all the way however, the Doctor could not believe what he heard.

" _If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood  
Who ya gonna call?"_

The song blasted down to him and the Doctor placed his hand over his face and groaned as he heard the stairs creek. A shadowy figure came towards him.

" _If it's somethin' weird an' it don't look good  
Who ya gonna call?"_

"Ghost Busters." Clara said with a matter-of-fact tone when she reached the bottom of the stairs. She held in her left hand a dust buster, which she waved around proudly. She had a grin on her face as she turned off the song, which had been playing on her cell phone.

"You are so cheesy," The Doctor said, with love in his voice along with hoarseness from shouting. He looked at her with adoration as she presented the key to his handcuff.

"Oy watch it space boy, or I won't free you."

The Doctor reached up and grabbed her bum as Clara undid the lock. He was too sore to question it.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sorry for the delay of this chapter, I became very depressed for a while and couldn't write. Thank you for all the reviews, positive and otherwise, I appreciate them all. I don't own the Ghost Busters theme song.


	5. Marriage

**Author's notes:**

So I left writing for a very long time, and I apologize for that. For the sake of transparency, sometime last year I got two negative reviews very close together. While everyone is entitled to their opinions, these reviews hurt my feelings. I wanted to just ignore them and continue on, but because it had already been very hard for me to start writing again in the first place after nearly six years. My self doubt already has me convinced my writing is garbage and those reviews felt like they validated my concerns. I've been trying to write this chapter ever since, but a lot changed. Season 9 has since aired, and we all know what happened with Clara. This made me want to abandon this fic altogether for a while, but my spark has been temporarily rekindled. I want to try to keep writing chapters. I appreciate all the feedback everyone has given me. I'm very sorry this story ended up suffering due to my insecurities. I hope you can all bear with me as I try to gain my confidence for writing back.

Also please note that the process I wrote for the DMV here is completely incorrect. I asked my friends in the UK at one point to explain how their driving test system works but I've since lost the conversation. I ask you to please give me some degree of suspension of disbelief for this.

* * *

Goosebumps covered Clara's skin as the Doctor's fingers trailed down her naked back. She rolled her hips, grinding into him tossing her hair back as she did so. The Doctor's lips found the hollow of her neck and he trailed kisses down to her collar bone. Whispering her name on her skin, he thrust his own hips upward to meet her. All the nervousness in his body began to melt away. The Doctor's eyes wandered over her her as a low moan escaped his parted lips. Her long brown hair was now delicately draped over her shoulders and parts of her small, firm breasts. If the Doctor believed in Goddesses, he'd be convinced she was one. He grasped onto her left breast, brushing the hair out of the way as he did, and relished as a gasp escaped Clara's lips when he placed his mouth on her nipple.

She gasped again as he entered her. It was a sound he was sure he would never tire of. He pressed his back to the edge of the pool where he sat, the water barely covering his knees. She was astride his lap, moving with his rhythm, her bathing suit bottoms abandoned on the deck.

 _'Gods above,'_ The Doctor thought, as he groaned into her chest. She felt so soft and smelled like flowers and chlorine. Clara had come to him some time after he had swam around the pool, complaining that she could only find half of a bathing suit. He had no objections to this however, even as she demanded to know why he had a pair of Alpacas running around his wardrobe.

Clara's legs were now wrapped tightly around his torso, and he could feel her tightening around him in other places too. She began to shiver and rock, digging her fingers into the nape of his neck. She murmured her love for him under her breath, making him come close to the edge-

" _ **Doctor,**_ " Clara said firmly, except it wasn't the lovely memory of her from that morning, but instead she was elbowing him in the ribs, fully clothed, and sitting in the plastic chair next to him. "Wake up. It's not _that_ boring you know."

"Number 56," said a droll voice over the intercom. There was a quiet amount of shuffling a few rows of seats away. Once it died the room went back to total silence with a thin blanket of hostility hovering in the air.

Oh of course, they were sitting at the DMV.

"Why couldn't they have just taken my photo and let us leave?" The Doctor grumbled.  
"Its bad enough you tried to show them your old ID," Clara replied pointedly. "You're lucky they were understanding when I told them you were joking."

The Doctor shook his head- he knew he was never going to use the license, just by how little he had used the old one he had, but for some reason Clara was not willing to let the topic drop until he got a new one. He supposed if it were that important to her he might as well.

" _This Time Travel vacation is only going to last a few days, but who knows when you may have to drive again?"_ Clara had said, and she had a point. Also, he certainly did not want to spend the rest of their time in town arguing over who got to drive.

There was something universally horrible about DMVs- and it was the same at all of them, on every planet. The Doctor could feel his limbs start to itch as his mind began to wander again. He had once blown up a star just to say goodbye to Rose Tyler, and yet here he was, sitting in this dingy concrete and plastic room with Clara Bloody Oswald making clucking noises at him with her tongue whenever he went to shut his eyes.

"Can't we just... I dunno... go have a romp in the bathroom... Instead?" He whispered to Clara, and she just rolled her eyes.

"57..." Said the intercom.

"Oh, oh, that's us," Clara got up and reached for the Doctor's hand. He reluctantly grabbed it and sighed.

When they reached the counter, a woman in her late 30s sat at her computer. She seemed cheerful enough, despite her occupation, and she gave Clara a welcoming smile when they approached.

"Hello there dear, how may I help you?" The woman asked.

"Uhm... oh yes. I'm Clara," She fumbled with the psychic paper she had nicked from the Doctor earlier She handed it to the woman as she spoke. "We're here so _John_ to get a new license. That should be all the paper work you need..."

The woman frowned at the blank piece of paper for a moment, and typed whatever she happened to be seeing into the computer. The Doctor however, shyed away from the two of them looking away with embarrassment.

"And it says here... you're his emergency contact yes?" The woman smiled and looked at Clara with mild curiosity that Clara couldn't understand.

"I suppose you could call me that," Clara replied.

"Alright, may I have your phone number Mrs. Smith?"

Clara's mouth opened to protest but no sound came out for an uncomfortably long time. She stared wide eyed at the woman until the Doctor gently tapped her on the knee and rose an eyebrow at her. She cleared her throat and looked back at the woman and said, her voice wavering, "Yes, erm, It's-"

The woman glanced at Clara's naked hand as she recited out her phone number. Doubt overcame her features, causing the Doctor to nervously grab onto Clara's hand. "We're only married on paper, so its still a new thing for her to be called Mrs.," The Doctor said, acting as though he were reciting facts out of a text book, rather than making up absurd things. "The actual wedding celebration isn't until next month."

The explanation the Doctor gave seemed to bring the woman relief, and her demeanor returned back to what it had been when they had first approached her. "Oh my, congratulations then, to the both of you!" She smiled as she finished filling out the forms on the computer and the Doctor could feel Clara's furious eyes boring into him.

"Alright, you are all set Mr. Smith!" The woman said as she hit the enter button. "Now all you need to do is to pass the vision test, and we can have your license renewed."

The Doctor opened his mouth to say his eyes were fine, but he dared not to when he heard an angry low growl come from Clara. "That sounds satisfactory," He said, refusing to look her direction. He could see her arms were folded.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the Doctor sat in the drivers seat of the Spyder, looking over the black and white copy of his eventual license. "I might have to travel in time to get the actual one from the mail box," He said, mostly to himself. "Seems silly I have to wait two weeks to have the real deal."

Clara wasn't listening. Her arms were still folded and she was looking at nothing in particular with a scowl on her face.

"Is there a way for me to fix this?" The Doctor asked as he winced. He the placed the key into the ignition but did not turn it.

She kept her back to him as she spoke, her slender shoulders hunched. It took him a moment to realize her eyes were watering. "Do you even know what you did?"

"Well... Not entirely," The Doctor replied, turning off the radio and turning his attention to her.

"How long have you been going about telling people we were married?" Clara asked, finally turning to him, her eyes dark and her lip trembling as she struggled to keep her tears at bay.

"Not long!" The Doctor replied, startled by how heart broken she looked. "I mean, I haven't told that many people that particular lie... Maybe only to a few aliens to get discounts on things or um... well if someone or something tried to hit on me when you weren't around..." His voice trailed off and bewilderment came over his features as tears did fall from Clara's eyes, sliding down to her chin.

"Why would you tell people that?" She reached her sleeve to her eyes and wiped, but more tears came. "You barely tell me how you feel about me. Yeah we shagged a couple times, and we're doing this stupid date thing-"

"But you wanted to do this," The Doctor replied, feeling his pockets for a handkerchief or something to help her with her tears, because he did not know what else to do with himself. His new awkwardness showed most when he was with someone else being extremely emotional.

"That's not the point!" Clara did not shout but she had a frustrated tone, which was somehow worse. Her hands wiped her sleeves into her eyes harder. "I hate to be one of 'those' women, but Danny was always clear about how important I was to him. He would plan a future with me, and he knew just how to make me feel secure and safe."

Realization dawned on the Doctor then, and he stopped frantically patting his velvet coat. " _Oh Clara,_ " He said softly, reaching for her hands and gripping them tightly. "My Clara, I'm so sorry."

She sniffed hard, looking up at him with her eyes still brimming with tears and her lip still trembling. "Don't 'My Clara' me!" She snapped, but she didn't pull her hands away.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Instead his blue eyes looked into hers, making her heart slow down and her breath become unison with his. He thought about his words carefully, waiting for her biological processes to leave their heightened state so she could properly listen. He couldn't say the same for himself; his hearts banged against his rib cage as his throat tightened.

"I want to tell you something, Clara Oswald," He kept his voice low, and as he did his accent became thicker. He took one of her hands and placed it on his hammering chest. "It may be scary, but please don't be frightened. But it's something you should know."

Clara did not say anything. Instead she just pressed her palm to his chest and searched his face. She had completely stopped crying now, but her body still trembled.

"When I was much younger," He began, attempting to keep his voice steady. The inside of the car seemed much hotter than he remembered, even with the top down. "I fell in love. After the war."

Clara nodded, encouraging him to go on.

"She was beautiful," He continued. "Blond hair, adventurist, always eager to save the world."

"Rose?" Clara asked, not taking her eyes off his face. He was having a hard time looking at her, but he did as he nodded slowly to confirm.

"When my face changed, I changed for her," The Doctor's grip on Clara's hand tightened. She could see he was struggling to keep tears out of his own eyes now. "I became such a different man tailor made for the first face I saw."

"Like when you became the Raggedy Man for Amy," Clara replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" The Doctor hoped she did. He would never be as eloquent as Danny Pink, and his insecurities ran deep, because though he was now tailor made for the ravishing young woman sitting in front of him, he often wondered if something went wrong. How could he possibly be anything like she wanted, after having someone like Mr. PE?

Clara closed her eyes for a moment her hand still on his thick velvet coat. The silence was comfortable again. "Do you know what I told Madam Vastra after you changed?" Clara said. Her eyes remained closed as she pictured the moment. "She called you a mountain range... And I said, 'I have never had the slightest interest in pretty young men. And for the record if there was anybody who could flirt with a mountain range she's probably standing in front of you right now. '"

Clara opened her eyes slowly and saw the Doctor looking at her with his lips pressed together. "How come I'm a mountain range?" He asked.

Finally a laugh came out of Clara, and she hit his chest and crossed her arms. She gave another great sniff and said, "Not the point, daft old man," She shook her head. "point is, if you want me, just say it. Don't think I'm going to reject you because you don't wear suits all the time anymore and you wear more layers than should be allowed. I'm not that shallow, I promise you."

"I never thought you were!" The Doctor's voice became tinged with hurt.

She laughed again, mopping her eyes up one more time as she did. "I know, I know... Its just, before you go around telling random people we are married can you at least take me out for a fancy dinner first?"

The Doctor scowled, and turned his attention to the car so he could drive them back to the house.

"One of these days your face is gonna get stuck like that you know." A small smile was now on Clara's lips as the wind blew her hair around her warm face. He kept his attention forward but he could still see it out of the corner of his eye.

"Well that would ruin all of our future wedding photos wouldn't it?"

Her eyes lit up and she settled back into the seat, finally content. "It's okay, we'll just put a bag over your head."


	6. The Third Date

**Notes:** High rating applies. This is a bit cliché but it was fun to write! This was inspired by a prompt posted on the Tumblr journeyintowriting.

* * *

"A shopping date?" The Doctor's eyebrow rose up into his hair line. He had been shoving porridge that Clara had made into his mouth as fast as he could, hoping she would not notice the faces he had been making from how flavorless it was. Her mother had taught her to make a rather mean souffle but beyond that...

"Yeah!" Clara replied, cleaning the pot she had used to make their breakfast in the sink. Her sleeves were rolled up, and her hands were soapy. Her porridge sat untouched on the counter, steam rising from it. "Do you still have the money from that king we saved in the international time travel bank?"

"Yes, of course, but..." The Doctor placed his spoon in his now empty bowl and leaned on his elbows on the counter. "Not to subscribe to gender roles or anything, but... wouldn't that be more fun with... I dunno... A girlfriend?"

Clara snorted. "What, you want to go pick up Jane Austen and get her advice on the latest century's fashion?"

"No but... the noise and..."

"And boring," Clara finished for him. "Oh Doctor, please? You're taking me out for that surprise tomorrow, it would help to have you choose what I should wear at least," She turned off the water and shook her hands in an attempt to dry them. "I looked through some of the more modern dresses you have on the TARDIS, and none of them were the right thing. Oh and the hen that 'guards' them kept pecking me."

"I'll have to have a word with her," The Doctor signed and ran his fingers through the front of his hair. His biggest weakness just happened to be Clara Oswald begging. "Fine, just don't get annoyed if I get distracted by some cyber men or something."

"What're the odds of a cyber man showing up in the middle of a clothes shop?" Clara leaned with her back against the counter, picking up her porridge.

"It's happened."

The Doctor watched as Clara spooned up some of the porridge and took a hearty bite. Almost instantly her face scrunched up. It took all of his will power not to laugh.

* * *

The Doctor kept his arms folded, grumbling to himself. He wore his hoodie, pulled over his gray hair. He had gotten the hood custom made so that it muffled sounds around him when he wore it. He had his hands in the large pockets of his plaid PJ bottoms, just to have them somewhere. It felt too awkward just to have them hanging about.

A small human passing by glimpsed his way at one point, and the Doctor glared. He watched with slight amusement as the child ran to catch up with his mother and clung to her sleeve. He still had not gotten use to how unapproachable he could seem without much effort. All it took was a glance and well placed borrowing of the eyebrows, and he could turn anyone away.

Except for Clara.

Across from him stood the changing rooms. His eyes had narrowed suspiciously when he saw the sheer mountain of clothes Clara had somehow picked up in her tiny arms to bring into the room to try on. She assured him it would not be long. For a fair while he watched as she would exit the stall to place another piece of rejected clothing onto the return rack.

When asked what to try for dresses, the Doctor told her to choose something 'dressy'. Clara had replied that was too vague, and he had just shrugged.

The Doctor huffed as he hunched more forward, leaning onto the display case behind him, a scowl on his face. He'd rather be safe in his TARDIS right now, where everything down to the smell and temperature were regulated to whatever he wanted. Still, he did want to please Clara- but just because he was doing it for Clara did not mean he had to be happy about it.

"With your posture like that, you'd think you were being tortured," Clara joked, as she came out of the stall. She had on a well cut silk black dress with delicate silver outlines of tulips swirling around the bottom. On her waist she had put a matching silver belt. The Doctor's eyes expanded as he took her appearance, from the crown of her head to her bare feet. He swayed a little as he rose to full height.

"Will you zip me up?" Clara asked as she turned around, revealing her back.

The Doctor cleared his throat as he stepped forward, a small blush forming on his cheeks. He reached up to her zipper, pausing to trace his fingers lightly down her skin, and he could feel her shiver. He zipped up the dress slowly, and both of them turned to look at her in the full length mirror on the far wall.

Even with Clara's hair up in a regular pony tail, you could see how elegant she looked in the dress. The slight shimmer met her eyes. The Doctor slowly snaked his arms around her waist and pressed himself against her back. Clara had had guys do this with her before when she had gone clothes shopping, but it was usually to press their desperate boners against her, as if to beg for her to service them in return for their patience. This wasn't the case for the Doctor. He looked as though he would get down on his knees and worship her if she asked him to.

He pressed his lips to her hair and let out a soft sigh, and she watched as he closed his eyes. Then, it was almost as if she were seeing herself from _outside_ of herself. She realized after a moment she was seeing herself from the Doctor's point of view.

He focused on the pink of her cheeks, the twinkle of her eyes, and how her collar bones peaked out from the top of the dress. She could also hear the thumping of his hearts surrounding her ears, as well as feel them against her back. One of the interesting things about having a relationship with someone wh had two hearts was that she could often feel his heart beats without trying. It was something she never experienced with anyone else.

Clara turned around in the Doctor's arms, reaching up to run her fingers through his gray mane pushing back his hood as she did so. She kissed him, her heart now pounding too. He gathered her closer in his arms, pushing his tongue into her hot mouth. When they broke apart, the both of them glanced around making sure they were not being watched.

When satisfied, Clara pulled the Doctor into the dressing room she had just been in and pushed him against the wooden wall as she continued to kiss him, her hands wrapping around his neck. She pushed the door shut with her foot.

The Doctor panted when they broke apart, his eyes now glazed with lust brought on by her. Clara felt something lurch around her navel from her own lust as she observed his red swollen lips and mused hair. He reached behind her and unzipped the dress, then reached in front of her to unhook the belt. Without the belt the dress slinked off her to the floor, leaving her naked, and feeling dangerous.

 _We're in public!_ The voice of reason reminded her as she stepped out from the dress and carefully placed it on the bench for later. The floor felt cold and hard under her exposed feet. All worry drained away however when the Doctor picked her up and she locked her legs around his waist. He kissed her hard, grinding up against her.

"We have to be quiet," He whispered.

He leaned her against the wall and continued to hold her with one arm as he fumbled with his PJ pants with the other. He managed to pull them down over his erection, springing himself free. He tried not to hiss from the sudden cold air against his warm flesh. He then used his free hand to press against Clara's clit as he kissed down onto her neck, causing her to gasp. He moved his free hand from her clit, and placed it over her mouth.

"Shh.." The Doctor entered her and watched as her eyes widened a bit and felt her fingers dig into his back.

It took a few moments of shifting to get the positioning right, but he began to thrust into her, cradling her, keeping his hand on her mouth. He buried his face into her shoulder, biting down into it every time he wanted to moan out.

She followed his rhythm bracing herself against him. His clothes felt soft against her skin, and she started to blush when she realized how vulnerable she was, being naked while he was mostly clothed. A muffled moan escaped her as he thrust deep into her, his rhythm becoming more erratic.

The Doctor whimpered into Clara's shoulder as he came, desperate to restrain himself. Once awareness returned to his arms, he carefully placed her down gently. Her pony tail was now becoming undone and her face flushed. He pulled his cock back into his pants, so no one could see him unclothed under the gap of the door to the ground. He got to his knees and trailed kisses down her mid section and gently pressed two fingers into her, thrusting them slowly in and out into her wetness, and he put his mouth on her clit, licking her.

She had already been close when he had pulled out, but this brought Clara right over the edge. Tears streamed from her eyes as she stuffed part of her fist into her mouth. The Doctor reached around her and dug his nails into her back with his free hand. Clara Oswald then became undone, her legs shaking, her free hand pulling on the older man's hair, sounds strangled against her fist, where teeth marks were surely going to be left. When she came back to earth, the Doctor stood and kissed her, holding the sides of her face delicately, examining her face.

"Glad you came?" Clara breathed out, a smile forming on her lips.

A laugh escaped the Doctor's lips and a rare kind smile came over his features, which Clara found devastatingly attractive. "Yeah."

* * *

Ten minutes later the two of them held hands as they waited in line at the checkout. The sneer was back on the Doctor's face as he looked around at all the activity of shoppers around them. In Clara's arms was the dress along with one other outfit. He had complained that she had only chose that out of all the other clothing she had picked out earlier. Clara just shook her head, telling him that choosing clothing is a process.

At the checkout the Doctor handed the debit card over without a fuss, and felt a little flutter of emotion when he saw Clara clutch the wrapped package of clothes as they walked down the street towards the TARDIS, parked near a cafe. When they reached it, Clara unlocked it and began to step in. The Doctor held her arm to stop her.

"How bout we make it a proper date?" He said, nodding over to where there was a set of couples sitting at the tables eating and laughing.

"But what if a hoard of cyber men show up?" Clara teased, placing the package into the TARDIS and turning to join him to walk to the cafe.

The Doctor feigned a look of concern, and briefly glanced around. "Well I'm not seeing Missy anywhere so I think we're in the clear."

"She must not like cheese cake then," Clara grinned as she got to the door of the cafe and held it open for the Doctor.

"That's how you know she's a true villain," The Doctor replied, pretending to be serious. "Such a horrible crime."

Clara laughed, "God I love you, even if you are a nerd."


End file.
